4 Overview The year 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the community antenna television (CATV or cable ) hybrid amplifier packaged in the industry-recognized SOT-115J package. An understanding of the history of the CATV hybrid amplifier and its use within cable network distribution amplifiers is necessary to understand today's cable industry and the industry s future. Improvements in distribution network amplifier technology have been integral to the growth of the cable industry, while limitations with regard to amplifier technology have, at times, limited the cable industry's capability to deliver programming to its customers. Introduction of the CATV hybrid amplifier in 1968 resulted in the eventual replacement of vacuum tubes and discrete radio frequency (RF) transistors used in CATV distribution network amplifiers. Since its inception the CATV hybrid amplifier has been the central component in determining the capability and performance of CATV distribution equipment. The introduction and continual improvement in performance of the CATV hybrid amplifier has provided the foundation for the cable industry's continued growth and prosperity since Today's CATV hybrid amplifier uses the same package as those first used in Lindsay Broadband line amplifiers in the early 1970s to provide today s Rogers Cable with 35-channel 300MHz capacity. A Historical Perspective of the Cable Industry Cable distribution amplifier development is intertwined with the cable industry's ability to offer new and improved services. A complete understanding of the cable industry today and the ability to correctly anticipate future trends depends partly on knowledge of the cable industry's history. The roots of cable started with the development of television (TV) and the TV broadcasting industry. The TV broadcasting industry 1 developed in densely populated areas where the substantial number of viewers within the broadcaster's transmission range made the system commercially viable. These areas became known as TV markets. 2 The electromagnetic spectrum available for allocation to the TV signal broadcast industry was (and remains) 1. The broadcasting of a United States National Television System Committee (NTSC) television signal started in limited. Unlimited geographic expansion of the TV signal broadcast service in the US was restricted because of: 1. Questionable commercial feasibility in sparsely populated areas 2. Signal interference among closely located TV stations sharing channels The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) allocation of the UHF spectrum (470MHz to 870MHz) to the TV broadcast industry in 1951 helped alleviate signal interference problems; however, most early TV receivers were not equipped with UHF tuners. Viewers needed a separate UHF antenna for best reception and the continuous UHF tuners available at the time were difficult to use. In the 1960s, population centers of less than 50,000 almost certainly had no TV broadcast station. Somewhat larger population centers may have had one, but only large population centers had affiliate TV broadcast stations for all three major networks and PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). As a result of these factors, reception in areas outside the major markets was poor, incomplete, or nonexistent. Thus, the cable industry was born to fulfill a need for improved reception of TV signals in smaller population centers. The electromagnetic spectrum allocated to broadcast TV relied primarily on line-of-sight propagation modes. For this reason, signal reception was significantly enhanced by using elevated mast antennas with good directivity. By sharing the cost of a well-designed and wellpositioned antenna (in an early form of "head end" (HE)) and distributing these higher signal-to-noise signals via twin lead antenna wire ("ladder wire") at first and followed by the use of coaxial cable (forming the earliest "distribution system" or "cable plant"), communities were able to upgrade their TV signal reception. These systems soon became known as CATV. In 1948, John and Margaret Walson of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, built one of the first CATV systems to increase TV receiver sales in their appliance store. Except in isolated cases, the typical early CATV system provided a community with an affiliate's signal for each major TV network, a PBS station, and one or two 2. Markets are known as Designated Market Areas, as defined by Nielsen Media Research. In 2008 the largest market is New York City with 7,391,940 TV households, the smallest market is Glendive, Montana, with 3,890 TV households (down from 5,300 in 1987). ( nc/nmr_static/docs/ _dma_ranks.xls) 4 of 21

5 independent stations. In many cases, the signal-to-noise ratio at a TV receiver was poor for distant transmitters. Co-channel signal interference was often a problem because some locations were nearly equidistant from stations sharing the same channel. Variations in propagation conditions caused intermittent signal interference. Signal reception quality often varied considerably among channels, depending upon distance between the TV receiver and the tuned station transmitter. Taller and higher performance antennas helped overcome these difficulties to a degree; however, the justifiable expense and the performance of early CATV systems matched the size of the customer base. CATV systems from 1948 through the 1960s were typically small, independently owned mom and pop" operations. In some cases, they were literally one-person operations. In those days, small towns were the primary market for CATV. Isolated dwellings in rural areas were difficult to serve because of the expense and performance of long coaxial cable runs. From the industry's infancy in the early 1950s to 1965, the number of CATV subscribers grew to approximately 1,500,000, representing only a small fraction of total TV households. CATV remained in the background of national attention and simply provided a technique for extending the coverage of TV broadcasts. Although a few TV broadcasters foresaw competition from the CATV industry, most were indifferent toward CATV in its early days. Factors Encouraging Early Growth Factors encouraging the cable industry's earliest growth period between 1948 and 1954 were: 1. The first NTSC broadcast in 1946 and the subsequent introduction of broadcast TV in select markets. 2. World War II (WWII) provided both the technical training and initial key hardware (war surplus) to fuel the cable industry. Many early cable industry pioneers were trained as a result of direct military service or service within the defense industry during WWII. WWII accelerated the advent of radar and advanced radio frequency (RF) communications techniques with associated hardware (twin lead cable, RG11U coaxial cable, vacuum tube amplifiers, and electron tube amplifiers). The GI Bill provided the means for many early cable pioneers to receive the education required to become contributors to the cable industry's early technical accomplishments and growth. 3. The master antenna television (MATV) market helped accelerate the development of hardware and broadcast TV signal reception enhancement techniques that benefited the CATV industry. Examples include Jerrold Electronics' initial use of coaxial cable to connect multiple TV receivers within multiple dwelling units (MDUs) and commercial buildings; TV receiver boosters (such as the Jerrold MUL-TV preamplifier inserted between a MATV antenna and TV receivers within apartment houses; Blonder- Tongue Laboratories broadband TV antenna booster) equipped with variable very high frequency (VHF) tuners with channel 2 through 13 capability that amplified broadcast TV signals at an individual TV receiver; vacuum tube based "stagger-tuned" strip amplifiers manufactured by companies such as Alliance, Benco, Blonder-Tongue Laboratories, Electro Voice, Jerrold, RCA, and SKL. 4. After World War II, the mass development of television was delayed by a six-month moratorium on the issuing of television broadcasting licenses by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That six-month moratorium was designed to let the FCC essentially draw a road map for itself on where it wanted television to go. Making the decisions of where to go was more complicated than previously thought and the six-month moratorium was extended to four years. This became known as the era of the Big Freeze. The FCC placed a moratorium on the issuance of new broadcast TV transmitter licenses nationwide (due to co-channel interference issues) in the period 1948 through In 1952, the FCC released procedures for administering licenses under their 1952 amendments with "Provisions Governing the Granting, Renewal and Transfer of Construction Permits and Licenses." 5. In 1948, there were 16 broadcast TV stations operating on the air. By 1953, there were Direct US government (FCC) regulation of the cable industry did not begin until AT&T permitted the lease, by contract, of utility poles required to mount early CATV distribution network amplifiers. Both TV broadcasters and AT&T falsely assumed that once the 1948 FCC moratorium on broadcast TV transmitter licenses was lifted that the burgeoning CATV industry would wither and die. Conventional wisdom within the TV broadcast community in 1952 was that every US citizen would soon have access to over-the-air TV signals within a few years. The reality is that even today there are many locations within the US that still do not have full TV 5 of 21

6 broadcast coverage (all major affiliate signals, plus PBS). Early cable systems from 1949 to the early 1960s consisted of tower-mounted antennas with preamplifiers that drove flexible coaxial cable with dispersed vacuum tube amplifiers. These systems employed little or no HE signal processing and did not require set-top converters. The TV receiver was simply tuned to a channel provided by the coaxial cable, as if tuning to a channel broadcast off-air using VHF channels 2 through 13. CATV systems naturally evolved into well-defined segments: HE, distribution (the CATV or cable plant), and subscriber (customer premises) equipment. In areas where TV signals were available from more than three or four TV broadcast stations, CATV systems could often receive TV broadcast stations on adjacent allocated channels. Because some or all broadcast stations were distant, propagation conditions caused the received TV signal levels to vary independently. When adjacent channels were occupied, the TV receiver only functioned properly if the TV signal levels on these channels were within ±3dB of the tuned channel. If a TV broadcast station's signals were stronger than those of other nearby broadcast stations, frequency selective networks were used to attenuate the stronger channel and thus equalize the TV signal levels. Simple frequency selective networks did not, however, correct for propagation-induced signal level variations. To better maintain constant signal levels on each channel, signal processors with intermediate frequency (IF) automatic gain compensating (AGC) networks were introduced. Signal processors were also used to translate UHF stations into the VHF spectrum for carriage on the CATV system. These and other factors, such as the substitution of standby carriers for lost carriers, automatic program origination, and improved satellite technology, initiated the evolution of the complex HE systems used today. The mid-band spectrum from 88MHz to 174MHz between NTSC channels six and seven was allocated for FM radio broadcast, aeronautical, and mobile two-way services. This spectrum could have been used on closed CATV systems except for two problems: Practical, high frequency, solid state, bipolar transistors became available in the early 1960s and led to improvements in distribution amplifier design. In the late 1960s push-pull amplifier circuitry was used to greatly reduce second order distortion. The development of the set-top converter eventually overcame the TV receiver limitations. The need to use the mid-band spectrum led to the development of the set-top converter by Jerrold and Alps. Some CATV systems imported signals by terrestrial microwave links. This allowed these systems to provide additional programming, which enhanced their marketability. By 1974, numerous independent TV broadcast stations were in operation, thus increasing the number of broadcast stations CATV systems could carry. Though the 216MHz CATV system popularly in place through the early 1970s was capable of carrying 12 NTSC channels, the average CATV system actually carried seven channels of programming until the mid-1970s. Table 1. US CATV System Channel Capacity ( ) Year NTSC Channel Capacity Upper Frequency Limit (MHz) a a a a a. Includes 90MHz for FM radio and other restricted-use frequencies. 1. Early distribution amplifiers were single-ended, which resulted in a buildup of second order distortion beats in the mid-band channels. 2. The TV receiver did not tune mid-band channels. 6 of 21

7 Figure 1. US CATV NTSC Channel Capacity ( ) F (MHz) Freq (MHz) NTSC Channels Freq (MHz) By 1975, CATV system technology had matured. HE systems resembled the form, functions, and performance of pre-1995 hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) cable systems. The CATV hybrid amplifier, now the cornerstone component in modular distribution optical nodes and amplifiers, was well established. Two-way CATV technology was well understood. During the 1970s, 30-channel, 300MHz components became readily available, but the embedded base of installed CATV systems primarily consisted of 12- channel, 216MHz systems. As late as 1988, 17% of CATV systems were only 12-channel capable and served 4% of all cable subscribers. Table 2. CATV Systems / Subscribers by Capacity (1989) Channel Capacity Systems % Of Systems % Of Subscribers 54 or more Fewer than Not Available TOTAL Source: Cable Television Developments (Washington, D.C.: National Cable Television Association, May 1989) By the late 1950s TV broadcasters knew the cable and broadcasting industries competed. In 1958, the FCC began regulating CATV. To protect TV broadcasting, the FCC created must-carry rules in These rules requiring cable companies carry various local and public TV stations within a cable provider's service area have had a dramatic history. Designed to ensure local stations did not lose market share with increased competition from cable networks competing for a limited number of cable channels, must-carry rules have at times been ruled unconstitutional and gone through numerous changes. To further protect TV broadcasting, the FCC enacted importation rules in These rules prevented CATV systems from importing the TV signals of more than one distant affiliate (such as an affiliate outside the area covered by the cable system) if the corresponding network had an affiliate in the CATV system coverage area. The FCC also limited the number of independent broadcast stations that could be imported. The FCC reduced the extent of the importation rules in Figure 2. Cable Industry Timeline ( ) Technology 1 st CATV Hybrid Amplifier 1 st Cable System Set 300 MHz 2-Way Top BW Systems 1 st Converters Cable Pay TVROs 400 MHz BW FeedForward 550 MHz Amplifiers BW TVRO Scrambling Competition Cable Subscribers (M) VCRs In Use (M) VHF & UHF High Power TV Stations ST HBO Service ST FCC Backyard Backyard Initiates TVRO TVROs DBS DBS Mkt Flounders Dies 1362 Regulation FCC Begins Regulating Cable Cable Act FCC Lifts Cable Of Ban In Major Mkts FCC Prohibits 2-Way Cable In 100 Required For Major Mkts New Builds 2-Way Ruling Overturned Cable Act Of 1984 Must-Carry Overturned Rates Deregulated of 21

8 Cable Television Amplifiers ( ) Early cable systems consisted of tower-mounted antennas with preamplifiers that drove flexible coaxial cable with dispersed vacuum tube amplifiers. The first cable systems were 12-channel forward path only (Figure 3) and the frequency plan was based on characteristics of VHF television receivers manufactured in the US from 1948 to the late 1970s. These early systems employed little or no HE signal processing and did not require set-top converters. The TV receiver was simply tuned to a channel provided by the coaxial cable, as was done when tuning to a TV channel broadcast offair (VHF channels 2 through 13). Cable systems naturally evolved into well-defined segments consisting of HE, distribution (the cable plant), and subscriber (customer premises) equipment. These cable systems carried FM radio on 88MHz to 108MHz and the 108MHz to 174MHz (known as mid-band) range was unoccupied to maintain consistency with television signal broadcast standards. In areas where TV signals were available from more than three or four TV broadcast stations, CATV systems could often receive broadcast stations on adjacent allocated channels. Because some or all TV broadcast stations were distant, propagation conditions caused the received TV signal levels to vary independently. Figure 3. Typical Frequency Plan, 12-Channel System, One Way ( ) 2 54 MHz LOW BAND FM HIGH BAND The original 12-channel cable system amplifiers used vacuum tubes. The triode Audion (three-electron) vacuum tube amplifier, invented and patented by Lee de Forest in 1907, boosted the amplitude of radio waves as they were received, allowing the human voice, music, or any broadcast signal to be heard loud and clear. The vacuum tube became the key component of all radio, telephone, television, computer systems, and radar before the invention of the transistor in The earliest high performance cable television amplifiers were developed using surplus military vacuum tubes and associated power supplies. Milton Jerrold Shapp developed a system in 1948 that allowed one master antenna to provide a signal to all TVs in a department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Shapp's system was notable because it employed coaxial cable (from military surplus) and selfmade signal boosters (amplifiers constructed using surplus military triode vacuum tubes) capable of carrying 216 multiple signals at once with high fidelity. Shapp is credited with establishing the first commercially viable MATV systems. In 1948, Shapp formed a company, Jerrold, to manufacture, sell, install, and support his MATV hardware in the eastern United States. At nearly the same time, John and Margaret Walson installed the first (CATV) system in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, to facilitate the sale of newly introduced General Electric (GE) TVs at their Service Electric appliance store. The Walsons formed Service Electric Cable TV Incorporated in 1948, still operating today as Service Electric Cablevision, the oldest cable TV multiple system operator (MSO) in the US. The Walson's charged $100 installation fee plus $2 a month for delivering two to three Philadelphia broadcast TV network signals to TVs sold by the Walsons. The Walson's first CATV system used ladder wire (twin-lead antenna wire) and homemade amplifiers. After the Walsons established their CATV system, Bob Tarlton built the first CATV system in Lansford, Pennsylvania, with the express purpose of charging a monthly fee for service (earlier systems were constructed by TV set retailers to facilitate the sale of TV sets). Tarlton modified Jerrold MATV booster amplifiers and used them to amplify his CATV system signals. When Milton Shapp visited Lansford and saw Tarlton's CATV system, he returned to Philadelphia, restructured his company to serve the new CATV business, and quickly became the largest and most important CATV equipment supplier in the US. Bob Tarlton joined Jerrold and became a key contributor to Jerrold's growth as both a cable TV industry equipment supplier, and multinational, far-reaching MSO. The company that was once Jerrold is now part of Motorola's broadband business operated from Horsham and Hatboro, Pennsylvania, among other worldwide locations. Figure 4. Evolution of Jerrold Formed by Milton Jerrold Shapp in 1948 Purchased by GI in 1967 for $129M Purchased by Motorola in of 21

9 Figure 5. Vacuum Tube Technology: the Jerrold 12- Channel SDA-4 Super Distribution Amplifier Figure 6. Vacuum Tube Technology: the Jerrold HPM-12 Channel 12 Amplifier Source: Source: Figure 7. Vacuum Tube Technology: the Jerrold HPM-12 Name Plate Source: Table 3. Manufacturers of 1- to 12-Channel Vacuum Tube Amplifiers Employed in CATV & MATV Systems (1948-early 1970s) Company Name Alliance Astatic Benco Blonder Tongue Laboratories Community Equipment Company (aka Community Engineering Corporation) - CECO Electro Voice Entron Jerrold RCA SKL Notes The Alliance Manufacturing Company, Alliance, Ohio. Manufactured the AT-1 All Channel Television Booster. Benco Television Associates, Limited, Toronto, Canada. Established in 1950 in Westfield, New Jersey, by Isaac (Ike) S. Blonder and Benjamin (Ben) H. Tongue to develop, sell, install, and support MATV broadband TV antenna boosters (vacuum tube-based amplifiers) connecting individual dwelling units in apartments and hotels to a master antenna, typically on the roof of each building. Still a CATV and MDU equipment supplier to the worldwide CATV/SATCOM industry today. Owned and operated by Haller, Raymond, and Brown (HRB), State College, PA, incorporated as C-Cor in 1953 (due to the CECO name copyright infringement). C-Cor acquired by Arris Corporation in Electro Voice Incorporated, Buchanan, Michigan. Became well known for professional audio equipment, including hornloaded loudspeakers and audio amplifiers. Acknowledged to have introduced the first five-channel broadband amplifier with linear (low cross-modulation) performance. Company formed by Milton Jerrold Shapp, later a two-time Governor of Pennsylvania, in 1948 to develop, sell, install, and support MATV system hardware. Enabled and dominated early CATV and MATV equipment industries and became a significant MSO and CATV test equipment manufacturer. Radio Corporation of America, formed by David Sarnoff, acknowledged by many as the father of the present day television broadcast industry. Spencer-Kennedy Laboratories, Boston, Massachusetts. 9 of 21

10 The Birth of the CATV Hybrid Amplifier ( ) Starting in the early 1960s, semiconductors began to supplant vacuum tube technology within CATV and MATV amplifiers. Expansion beyond the 12-channel system required the development of push-pull amplifier circuitry to minimize second order distortion. The cascade pushpull amplifier configuration typically incorporates four (4) transistors. Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of an ideal push-pull amplifier. Figure 8. Simplified Block Diagram of Ideal Push-Pull Hybrid Amplifier Vin Vin HYBRID SPLITTER Vin 180º 0º -Vin Vin -Vin a1 + Vin² a2 a1 a2 a1 a2 Vin a1 + Vin² a2 Source: William "Bill" Lambert, "Second-Order Distortion in CATV Push-Pull Amplifiers," Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 58, No. 7, Created while Bill was employed by Jerrold Electronics Corporation, Willow Grove, PA. In the period 1963 through the late 1970s, most CATV and MATV amplifiers, designed to boost broadcast TV antenna signals or provide video via extended distance cascades, used solid state discrete transistor-based amplifiers. The advantages of solid state transistor-based CATV and MATV amplifiers versus vacuum tube-based amplifiers included: 180º Block Diagram of Ideal Push-Pull Hybrid Amplifier 0º Vin a1 + Vin² a2 HYBRID SPLITTER -Vin a1 + Vin² a2 -Vin a1 technology, and installation field replacement of discrete transistors soldered to printed circuit boards was not practical A key advantage that CATV hybrid amplifiers have enjoyed over discrete transistors and other packaged amplifier solutions is ease of field replacement: only a screwdriver is required. The SOT-115J is designed with easily accessible pins for CATV and MATV amplifier pin and socket insertion and removal without need for soldering. Early CATV hybrid amplifiers were employed in CATV and MATV amplifiers. Some of these amplifiers were known as "coffee can" amplifiers, which combined a broadband linear amplifier with one or more taps built into a modified coffee can. Each amplifier was assembled by hand, with components soldered directly to the can. Early versions used discrete transistors; later versions incorporated integrated circuits, including CATV hybrid amplifiers. The history of the coffee can amplifier is somewhat of a mystery: several of them were made, but the identity of the person who made them is in doubt. It is likely that several persons assembled them. A few coffee can amplifiers still exist in museums and private collections today. Figure 9. Coffee Can Amplifier with TRW CATV Hybrid Amplifier (c. 1983) lower input voltage (from life-threatening voltages in the hundreds of volts required to drive vacuum tubes, to <30Volts DC) cheaper, smaller power supplies increased reliability smaller amplifier housings lower cost Disadvantages compared to vacuum tube-equipped amplifiers included: Source: Neal McLain and limited number of transistor suppliers new methods required for cooling both the transistor devices and amplifier housings need to invent transient voltage protection techniques, 10 of 21

12 Until the mid-1970s, when Motorola Semiconductors introduced its first CATV hybrid amplifier, TRW Semiconductors was the sole supplier of CATV hybrid amplifiers. Rogers Cable of Canada adopted the TRW CATV hybrid amplifier as the central amplifier technology within its 300MHz downstream upper frequency-capable (35 downstream NTSC channels) trunk, bridger, and line extender (LE) CATV amplifiers in Rogers installed 300MHz 35-channel NTSC cable systems throughout Canada from 1973 to Rogers also used the TRW CATV hybrid amplifier in 300MHz-capable systems installed in Europe from 1974 to of 21

13 Technology Comes of Age ( ) Cable equipment manufacturers from 1968 to the early 1990s specialized in the construction of high performance trunk, bridger, and line extender amplifiers, as well as the internal functions of these amplifiers, enabling long distance cable system cascades. Likewise, CATV hybrid amplifier and semiconductor manufacturers have specialized in hybrid amplifiers with minimal noise and distortion. The parallel development of hybrid amplifier techniques and higher performance trunk, bridger, and line extender amplifiers made possible the increased channel capacity and bandwidth of modern cable systems. Since the introduction of the first HFC optical node by ONI in 1986 and the installation of HFC networks beginning in the early 1990s, CATV hybrid amplifier performance requirements have steadily increased. The CATV power doubler (known as the parallel hybrid at the time of its introduction by Amperex in 1984 and registered by Magnavox/Philips as the "power doubler" in the late 1980s) has enabled the implementation of HFC networks without traditional trunk and bridger amplifiers while simultaneously reducing the number of installed traditional line extender amplifiers. HFC networks with "fiber deep" capability, where the optical node is placed to within 1.5km or closer to end customer houses or MDUs, is feasible as a result of the ever-increasing performance of the CATV hybrid amplifier power doubler. Semiconductor technology has made significant progress between 1968 and today. Gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based die were introduced into prototype CATV hybrid amplifiers in the early 1990s. Early GaAs die-equipped CATV hybrid amplifiers demonstrated questionable performance advantage versus the best silicon bipolar based hybrids of the era. However, semiconductor manufacturers embarked on a continuous improvement effort and, by the early 2000s, GaAs die-equipped hybrids had surpassed silicon bipolar-based hybrids in every meaningful performance measurement, including bandwidth to 1GHz, multi-carrier distortion (CSO, CTB, XMOD, CIN), RF output power, and power efficiency. architecture fell short of desired performance levels, primarily due to inadequate hybrid splitter performance. Power doublers (PDs) achieve improved RF output power and multi-carrier distortion over standard push-pull (PP) hybrid amplifiers by operating two cascade PP circuits in parallel and by combining their outputs. To coherently combine the outputs, the phase paths through each half must be equal in length. This is accomplished by carefully designing an input signal splitter that drives each hybrid amplifier half with identical signals. The outputs are recombined in a similar signal combiner. The overall gain is the sum of each individual hybrid amplifier's gain, minus the small loss in the two signal splitters. The RF output power is 3dB greater than each individual hybrid amplifier, minus the loss in the output signal combiner. Power dissipation and thermal demands are increased versus standard PP hybrid amplifiers, but each optical node or line amplifier output stage employing a power doubler has at least 3dB additional RF power output capability at reduced multi-carrier distortion levels. Figure 12. Simplified Schematic of Three-Stage GaAs Power Doubler In the 21st century this type of magnetic is designed, manufactured, and fielded with performance unimagined by CATV amplifier designers in From 1970 to today, push-pull and, by association, modern power doubler hybrid magnetics have extended bandwidth performance from 216MHz to beyond 1.2GHz while simultaneously reducing manufacturing and assembly cost and increasing assembly yield. Steady improvement has been made in the design and manufacture of the magnetics components required to implement CATV hybrid amplifiers. Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of an ideal push-pull hybrid amplifier. The design of an ideal push-pull hybrid amplifier (as shown in Figure 8) requires an ideal set of hybrid splitters. In the 1970s most suppliers that constructed amplifiers attempting to leverage the advantages of the push-pull 13 of 21

14 CATV Hybrid Amplifiers Today The introduction in 2008 of the first Gallium Nitride (GaN) die-based CATV hybrid amplifiers (1GHz bandwidth 20dB and 23dB gain power doublers from RFMD) has heralded the next generation of CATV hybrid amplifiers. For the first time in the history of CATV amplifier development, network system designers have the option to employ CATV hybrid power doublers within optical nodes and line amplifiers that can simultaneously produce twice the RF output power (an increase of 6dBmV) with an order of magnitude (10dB) decrease in carrier intermodulation noise 3 (CIN) over temperature without increasing dissipated power as compared to the world's best available GaAs die-equipped power doubler. Figure 13 illustrates this performance comparison between the new GaN die PDs (RFMD s D PH1 shown on the left as an example) and the world's best available GaAs die PDs. Figure 13. GaN-die PD (D PH1) compared to GaAs-die PDs. For CIN versus temperature, GaN-die PD produces 6dBmV higher RF output. video carrier level and increasing with slope). "RFMD" denotes the new GaN die-equipped PDs, "9188" and "1042H" denotes competitor GaAs die-equipped PDs. Figure 14. GaN PD Compared to GaAs PD. CTB versus RF Power Out CTB (dbc) Figure 15. Test Conditions PD CTB vs RFout analog channels RFout (dbmv) 6dB H RFMD digital channels Figure 14 shows 2008 GaN die-based PDs composite triple-beat (CTB) performance while amplifying a mixed signal 54MHz to 1002MHz waveform (54MHz to 550MHz NTSC analog carriers spaced at 6MHz video carrier interval plus 551MHz to 1002MHz QAM signals starting at 6dB signal level below the average analog 3. CIN: The ratio of the CW carrier to the noise-like signals generated by the non-linearity of a broadband transmission system carrying a combination of analog signals and digitally modulated signals. These distortion products are analogous to the CSO and CTB products generated by analog carriers, but due to the pseudo-random nature of the digital modulation signals, appear as a noise-like interference. When CIN products fall within the analog portion of the spectrum, their effect on the analog signal is similar to increasing thermal (random) noise. Since CIN is a distortion product, its contribution is dependent on the output signal level. Source: ANSI/SCTE "Test Procedure for Carrier to Noise (C/N, CCN, CIN, CTN)," dated 05 October Table 5 shows how 2008 GaN die-equipped PDs compare to the world's best available GaAs die-equipped PDs in key specifications such as CTB, CSO, XMOD, CIN, noise figure (NF), and power dissipation. Presently available GaN die-equipped PDs can achieve improved performance while simultaneously reducing power dissipation by approximately 1W to 2W per PD installed. Table 5. GaN versus GaAs PD Competitive Analysis GaN Die PD Strengths versus GaAs Die PDs SOIC-16 GaAs Die PD SOT115J GaAs Die PD 1GHz SOT115J GaN Die PD CTB / dbc CSO / dbc XMOD / dbc CIN / dbc NF/dB, max PD / W of 21

15 Worldwide PD usage in the years 2009 through 2013 is estimated at 1.5 million units. If every PD installed was a 2008-generation GaN die-equipped PD, the world energy savings would be approximately 26 billion watt-hours (Bwhrs) of electrical energy in calendar year 2013 alone. Table 6 lists the major manufacturers of CATV hybrid amplifiers from 1968 through today and their unofficial industry standard mold cap colors. CATV hybrid amplifier mold cap colors were clearly differentiated in order to allow CATV installers and repair technicians an easier time when removing and replacing individual amplifiers in the field, in a service provider vehicle, or in a repair facility. Table 6. CATV Hybrid Amplifier Manufacturers ( ) Manufacturer Mold Cap Cover Color Photo Freescale/Motorola Semiconductor Blue NEC/CEL/ISG Red TRW/Motorola Semiconductor Black NXP/Philips Semiconductor Green 15 of 21

19 Some of these green PDs will dissipate <6W total DC power while delivering +60dBmV RF power out at 1.2GHz. In Second-generation green push-pull and PD hybrids equipped with GaN die and pre-distortion circuitry in combination with 1.2GHz optical receivers with AGC will allow HFC network designers to employ a new class of "flexible install" optical nodes with up to eight ports. Figure GHz Optical Receiver with AGC µc circuit AGC optical input Vb RF output amplifier voltage controlled attenuator PIN detector Ultra-high output GaN die-equipped PDs and high gain GaN die-equipped push-pull amplifiers will sample. Together these new hybrids will facilitate the design and delivery of a new class of optical node capable of delivering 1.2GHz mixed signal bandwidth at up to +70dBmV RF power output. In , 8-, and 16-Port "super nodes" cut FTTN power consumption by >50% by using: Low-current GaN PDs with AGC and 70+dBmV RF OUT Low-current GaN PP, GaN return with AGC, 90V GaN Two-way "mini-nodes" that replace RFoG and xpon ONTs E-QAM HEs and hubs with QAM sharing and integrated optical switching that will make narrowcasting the norm 16-Port optical hubs with ROADM that will replace optical network units 19 of 21

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zeevee.com Why Broadcast is Better How Pro AV Installers Are Using HD Modulation to Win Commercial Business Patrick Cain, a Project Manager at Front Row Audio Video in Lawrence, KS is telling the story

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* Making Communities Better with Broadband So Many Choices!!!!!! Where Do I Even Start? *Where to Begin *Start With Your Community *Demographics *Current Needs *Vision for the Future *Strengths and Challenges